Peru counts cost as flood damage closes Machu Picchu

The last young backpackers flew away from Machu Picchu as clouds closed in again, leaving Peru to grapple with flood damage that will close its top tourist site for weeks, or perhaps months.

Torrential rains caused mudslides and swelled the Urubamba River on Sunday, stripping away long sections of the railway that is the only transportation in and out of the area around the Inca citadel.